NBA San Antonio Spurs

Josh Smith Should Consider Signing With San Antonio Spurs

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By @DSchultz89

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On Monday, the Detroit Pistons announced that they have released forward Josh Smith. It had been rumored over the last couple of weeks that the team was trying to move Smith via trade, but with no one being willing to take him and his two-year, $26 million contract, the team decided to go in another direction.

This move came as a big surprise, being that Smith has flirted with becoming an All-Star a few times over his career, especially during his time as a member of the Atlanta Hawks. However, Smith never truly fit in with the Pistons, where he was often asked to play out of position at the small forward slot, when history has proven he is a much more effective player at the power forward position.

The 29-year-old is shooting a career-low 39 percent from the field this season, as well as an unimpressive 24 percent clip from outside. While he is still a defensive presence, his offensive production has been awful since coming to the Pistons as a free agent in the summer of 2013.

Personally, I believe that the Pistons badly misused Smith while he was there. He has never been a perimeter shooting threat, and part of the small forward’s responsibility is to space the floor effectively and clear out room for the power forward and center to operate. The Pistons should have started him at power forward next to Andre Drummond and instead have the defensively-challenged Greg Monroe serve as a capable sixth man off of the bench, but this did not happen.

Smith will likely be courted by a lot of teams, especially contenders looking for a solid role player off the bench. One team Smith should seriously consider signing with, should they put in a serious effort to add him, is the San Antonio Spurs.

It was almost three years ago when Boris Diaw was also surprisingly cut by the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets). Like Smith, Diaw was also 29 years old and considered to be a very talented player who, in addition to not being played the right way, had lost some motivation to play for a losing team.

The Spurs took a chance on Diaw, and ever since he signed with the Spurs, he has fit in seamlessly and accepted his role off the bench. He has also become a better defensive player thanks to the excellent player development personnel that the Spurs possess.

If Smith wants to revive his career, signing with the Spurs is definitely his best choice. He will undoubtedly have to take a paycut wherever he goes next, but he will still be owed $26 million over the next two years, which certainly helps soften the blow. He will also most likely have to accept a role off a team’s bench, being that players who are released then signed by another team are rarely inserted into the starting lineup right away.

Given Smith’s defensive skills and head coach Gregg Popovich’s knowledge of how to use players correctly, this move seems like it would be beneficial for both parties. After all, the Spurs have long coveted a defensive small forward/power forward to put behind Kawhi Leonard and Tim Duncan, and Smith would be the ideal fit should he prove to be a more coachable player on a new team.

The Spurs also have a history of taking care of their players, and they always do their best to keep the same roster together for every season.

In all likelihood, this probably will not happen. Smith will probably go to the team that offers him the most money and playing time. However, if he is really committed to turning his career around and getting back on the winning track, I believe that he should really consider continuing his career with the Spurs.

Dan Schultz is an NBA sports writer for <www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @dschultz89. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.

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